dr. jae lee

Dr. Soo-Kyung Lee Named FOXG1 Research Foundation Chief Scientific Officer

The FOXG1 Research Foundation (FRF), announced today the appointment of Dr. Soo-Kyung Lee as the new Chief Scientific Officer of the FOXG1 Research Foundation. Dr. Lee is an Empire Innovation Professor and Om P. Bahl Endowed Professor at University at Buffalo Department of Biological Sciences. Since joining the FRF in 2017, Dr. Lee has elevated the FOXG1 research center at the University at Buffalo to a global leader in the field. Her exceptional work has garnered around $3M annually from federal agencies, FRF, UB, and the Simon Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), notably receiving SFARI's 2022 Genomics of ASD: Pathways to Genetic Therapies award.

Dr. Lee’s dedication to curing FOXG1 syndrome is deeply personal as a mother to Yuna, diagnosed with FOXG1 syndrome in 2009. Her passion and commitment have inspired everyone fortunate enough to work with her. It's a rare and special circumstance to have FOXG1 parents leading the scientific journey towards effective therapeutics for all FOXG1 children globally.

A Daughter's Rare Disease Brings Mother-Father Researchers to Buffalo for Answers

A Daughter's Rare Disease Brings Mother-Father Researchers to Buffalo for Answers

Soo-Kyung Lee, Empire Innovation Professor of Biology at the University at Buffalo, has been driven to focus greater attention on FOXG1 syndrome since her daughter, Yuna, was diagnosed with the neurological condition almost nine years ago.

Douglas Levere/University at Buffalo

Infinitesimal Odds: A Scientist Finds Her Child’s Rare Illness Stems From the Gene She Studies - NYT Video

Infinitesimal Odds: A Scientist Finds Her Child’s Rare Illness Stems From the Gene She Studies - NYT Video

By the time her mother received the doctor’s email, Yuna Lee was already 2 years old, a child with a frightening medical mystery. Plagued with body-rattling seizures and inconsolable crying, she could not speak, walk or stand.

“Why is she suffering so much?” her mother, Soo-Kyung Lee, anguished. Brain scans, genetic tests and neurological exams yielded no answers. But when an email popped up suggesting that Yuna might have a mutation on a gene called FOXG1, Soo-Kyung froze.